Directory Opus

Last updated
Original author(s) Jonathan Potter
Developer(s) GPSoftware
Initial releaseJanuary 1990;34 years ago (1990-01)
Stable release
13.2 / February 9, 2024;0 days ago (2024-02-09) [1]
Operating system AmigaOS, Microsoft Windows
Type File manager
License Proprietary
Website www.gpsoft.com.au

Directory Opus (or "DOpus" as its users tend to call it) is a file manager program, originally written for the Amiga computer system in the early to mid-1990s. Commercial development on the version for the Amiga ceased in 1997. Directory Opus is still being actively developed and sold for the Microsoft Windows operating system by GPSoftware and there are open source releases of Directory Opus 4 and 5 for Amiga.

Contents

Directory Opus was originally developed by, and is still written by, Australian Jonathan Potter. Until 1994, it was published by well-known Amiga software company Inovatronics, when Potter joined with Greg Perry and the Australian-based GPSoftware to continue its development, and has since been published by GPSoftware.

Features

Directory Opus has evolved since its first release in 1990 as a basic two-panel file manager. The interface has evolved significantly due to feedback given by its users. Some of the features include:

History

Release history

Version 4.17 (GPL release): design circa 1992 DOpus.png
Version 4.17 (GPL release): design circa 1992
Version 8: design circa 2004 DOpus8.jpg
Version 8: design circa 2004

Amiga release history

  • Opus 1: January 1990
  • Opus 2: February 1991
  • Opus 3: 1991-12-01
  • Opus 4: 1992-12-04
  • Opus 5: 1995-04-12
  • Opus 5.5: 1996-08-01
  • Opus Magellan (5.6): 1997-05-17
  • Opus Magellan II (5.8): 1998-11-01
  • Opus Magellan II GPL (5.90): 2014-05-11

Versions 1 and 2 were only available direct from the author. Versions 3 and 4 [7] were published by Inovatronics. Versions since 5 have been published by GPSoftware (German versions were published by Stefan Ossowskis Schatztruhe). The full version of Magellan II is included for free with AmiKit package.

Windows major release history

  • Opus 6: 2001-06-18
  • Opus 8: 2004-10-04
  • Opus 9: 2007-04-27 [8]
  • Opus 10: 2011-04-30 [9]
  • Opus 11: 2014-03-03 [10]
  • Opus 12: 2016-09-05 [11]
  • Opus 13: 2024-01-23 [12]

All Windows versions published by GPSoftware. (German versions published by Haage & Partner Computer GmbH.)

Open source release history

The open source Worker (file manager) is heavily inspired by the Directory Opus 4 series. [15]

See also

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References

  1. "Directory Opus stable release announcements".
  2. Mendelson, Edward (2004-06-08). "File Managers". PC Magazine. Vol. 23, no. 10. Ziff Davis. p. 132. ISSN   0888-8507.
  3. Rubenking, Neil J. (2006-04-11). "Incredibly useful utilities, Directory Opus 8". PC Magazine. Vol. 25, no. 6. Ziff Davis. p. 98–99. ISSN   0888-8507.
  4. Mendelson, Edward (2005-02-08). "Replace Windows Explorer". PC Magazine. Vol. 24, no. 2. Ziff Davis. p. 46. ISSN   0888-8507.
  5. Harac, Ian (2014-03-31). "Directory Opus 11 review: The premier file manager for power users". PCWorld. Retrieved 2017-05-16.
  6. Mendelson, Edward (2005-05-24). "File Managers". PC Magazine. Vol. 24, no. 9. Ziff Davis. p. 92–93. ISSN   0888-8507.
  7. Holborn, Jason (April 1993). "Directory Opus 4". Amiga Format. No. 45. Future Publishing. p. 135. ISSN   0957-4867.
  8. "Directory Opus 9 release announcement" (Press release).
  9. "Directory Opus 10 release announcement" (Press release).
  10. "Directory Opus 11 release announcement" (Press release).
  11. "Directory Opus 12 release announcement" (Press release).
  12. https://resource.dopus.com/t/directory-opus-13-now-available/48103
  13. "Amiga DirectoryOpus 4 Released Under GPL".
  14. "Dopus5 – Directory Opus 5 (OpenSource)".
  15. Ralf Hoffman. "Worker file manager". boomerangsworld.de.